Dispensing carton with removable plastic window



June 21, 1966 H. L. METZGER 3,257,028

DISPENSING CARTON WITH REMOVABLE PLASTIC WINDOW Filed Feb. 8, 1965INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,257,028 DISPENSING CARTON WITH REMOVABLE PLASTICWINDOW Henry L. Metzger, Castleton-on-Hudson, N.Y., assignor to KVPSutherland Paper Company, Kalamazoo, MiclL, a corporation of DelawareFiled Feb. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 431,072 The portion of the term of thepatent subsequent to Feb. 9, 1982, has been disclaimed 2 Claims. (Cl.221-63) This application is a continu-ation-in-part of applicationSerial No. 347,497, filed February 26, 1964, now Patent No. 3,168,976.

The present invention relates to dispensing cartons, and is moreparticularly concerned with dispensing cartons having a removable windowprovided in a panel thereof.

Cartons are commonly provided with windows so that the contents of thesealed carton may be viewed by prospective purchasers. In order toprotect the contents, the openings of the cartons defining the windowsare generally covered by a film of a transparent material such asCellophane, polyethylene, p-olyvinylchloride, or any of numerous othersuitable materials.

When the carton contains materials such as facial tissues which are tobe dispensed therefrom, a dispensing opening may be provided byincorporating a line of weakness at the periphery of the window frame byscoring, perforating, slitting or otherwise weakening the material ofthe carton construction along the line so that the Window may be readilyremoved.

In order that the Window may be removed without damaging the face panelcontaining the window, the film is normally adhesively afiixed to thepanel only along the border of the window frame and not beyond the lineof weakness defining the outer periphery of the frame. Where rectangularwindows are utilized, this structure raises no problem, as rectangularsheets of film of proper size may be readily cut out. However, whennon-rectangular windows are utilized, such as oval windows, it is noteconomically feasible to trim the transparent film exactly to the shapeof the window. Consequently, when the rectangular film is adhesivelyaffixed to the window frame, the corners of the film remain loose.Therefore, when the contents are subsequently loaded into the cartonfrom one end, the corners are frequently lifted and folded over,becoming visible in the window and detracting from the generalappearance of the carton. This has been found to be true even when therectangular transparent sheet is adhesively secured to the panel alongone edge thereof in addition to the immediate border of the window. Onthe other hand, if the entire rectangular sheet is adhesively affixed tothe face panel to prevent folding over of the corners, and even whenonly one edge of the sheet is secured to the panel in addition to-theimmediate border of the window, the face panel frequently tears orbecomes disfigured when the window is removed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a carton having aremovable window provided in a panel wherein, the free corners of thetransparent film forming the window will not be folded over when thecontents of the carton are loaded through an open end. It is a furtherobject to provide a carton structure of the type described in which thewindow may be readily removed without tearing or otherwise defacing thepanel of the carton in which the window is located, and without leavingtorn or jagged portions of the transparent film in the opening formed bythe removal of the window. It is an additional object to provide such acarton structure which may be filled from either end withoutdisarranging the edges of the transparent film window. It is still afurther object to provide a structure of the type described which may beinexpensively produced by means of automatic equipment.

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The accomplishment of the foregoing and additional objects will becomemore fully apparent hereinafter.

The invention in its preferred embodiment is illustrated by theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank suitably cut and scored to provide acarton according to the present invention, and to which blank atransparent window-covering film has been affixed; and

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an erected, loaded and sealed cart-onaccording to the invention.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawing for a betterunderstanding of the invention, wherein. all the parts are numbered andwherein the same numbers are used to refer to corresponding partsthroughout.

In a preferred form, the carton of the invention is constructed from anintegral blank as illustrated in FIG. 1, and comprises a top panel 1, abottom panel 2, and side panels 3 and 4 hingedly connected thereto. Aglue flap 5 is hingedly connected to the bottom panel 2. End panels 613are provided for closing and sealing the ends of the carton.

A window frame 14 is provided in the top panel 1, the outer periphery ofwhich is defined by a line of weakness 15 which may be provided as byperforating, slit scoring, of otherwise weakening the material so thatthe frame may be readily and cleanly torn from the panel 1. The innerperiphery of the window frame 14 is defined by the edge of a cut-out 16.If desired, a retained area 17 may be provided integral with the frame14 to which printed matter such as trademarks, descriptive material, orthe like may be applied.

-A transparent film 18 is adhesively afiixed to the Window frame 14 andto the retained area 17 as indicated by stippling 19. The ends of thetransparent film which are at the ends of the carton into either ofwhich the contents are to be filled are adhesively afiixed to the panel1 at narrow strips 20 and 22 susbtantially across the entire end of thefilm. Between the area of strips 20 and 22 and the wind-ow 14 lines ofweakness 21 and 23, respectively, are provided across the ends of thefilm 18.

The carton of the present invention is erected and prepared for fillingby first gluing the flap 5 to the free edge of the side panel 3 to forma tubular structure. One end of the carton is then closed and sealed byfolding in the flaps 6-9 or 10-13 and gluing them together in the usualmanner. The contents are then inserted into the carton through theremaining open end. As the contents enter the end of the carton, theadhesively aflixed portion 20 or 22 of the transparent film is held inplace and is not permitted to fold over, as would normally occur if theend of the film was not thus affixed. The end flaps remaining open,10-13 or 6-9 are then folded over and sealed in theusual manner, toprovide a filled and sealed carton as shown in FIG. 2, in which'thecontents sealed into the carton may be readily viewed from without.

The carton is prepared for dispensing by tearing out the window alongthe line of Weakness 15. As the severed frame 14 is withdrawn from thetop panel 1, the transparent film 18 tears cleanly along the lines ofweakness 21 and 23. The opening which remains is free of any plasticfilm remnants. Moreover, the removal of the window is accomplishedwithout any danger of tearing or disfiguring the panel 1.

The present invention has a number of advantages over prior artstructures. It permits substantially non-rectangular windows to becovered with rectangular sheets of transparent film, thus greatlyreducing the labor and processing costs of the carton as compared tocartons in which a transparent film cut to the exact shape of thenonrectangular window frame is utilized or required. The. presentinvention avoids the diificulty generally encoun-- tered whenrectangular transparent film sheets are used, in which case the freeedges of the film are usually folded over to become visible through thewindow when the contents of the canton are inserted at one end thereof,a condition which greatly detracts from the appearance of the packagedproduct. Moreover, by providing a line of weakness between the end ofthe film which is anchored t0 the panel and the window frame, the windowmay be removed without tearing or disfiguring the panel in which thewindow is located, and without leaving tom portions of film visible inthe opening created by the removal of the window. Further, the cartonmay be filled from either end while still avoiding such tearing ordisfiguring.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactdetails of construction, operation, or exact materials or embodimentsshown and described, as obvious modifications and equivalents will beapparent to one skilled in the art, and the invention is therefore to belimited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing carton comprising end and side panels and having aremovable window in a panel thereof, said window comprising a removableframe the periphery of which is defined by a line of weakness, andhaving a central opening, a transparent film adhesively affixed to saidframe and having both ends thereof adhesively afiixed to said panelexternal of the area of said frame each adjacent a carton end, said filmbeing provided at each end with a line of weakness extending over thewidth thereof and separating the areas at which said film is affixed tosaid panel from the line of weakness defining the periphery of saidframe, whereby the desired contents may be loaded into said cartonthrough either end thereof without lifting and folding over the cornersof said film, and

whereby, upon removal of said window, said film may be cleanly severedat said lines of weakness without tearing or disfiguration of saidcarton.

2. A dispensing carton comprising end and side panels and having aremovable window in a panel thereof, said window comprising asubstantially non-rectangular removable frame the periphery of which isdefined by a line of weakness and having a central opening, asubstantially rectangular transparent film positioned over said openingand adhesively afiixed to said frame and having both ends thereofadhesively affixed to said panel outside the area of said frame eachadjacent a carton end, said film being provided at each end with a lineof weakness over substantially the entire width thereof separating theareas at which said film is afiixed to said panel from the line ofweakness defining the periphery of said frame, whereby the desiredcontents may be loaded into said carton through either end thereofwithout lifting and folding over the corners of said film, and wherebyupon removal of said window said film may be cleanly severed at saidlines of weakness without tearing or disfiguration of said carton.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,097,858 11/1937Herz. 2,284,604 5/ 1942 Brooks. 2,730,267 1/1956 Marcalus 221483,155,273 11/1964 Cote 221-63 3,168,976 2/1965 Metzger 22163 LOUIS J.DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH N. LEIMER, Examiner.

1. A DISPENSING CARTON COMPRISING END AND SIDE PANELS AND HAVING AREMOVABLE WINDOW IN A PANEL THEREOF, SAID WINDOW COMPRISING A REMOVABLEFRAME THE PERIPHERY OF WHICH IS DEFINED BY A LINE OF WEAKNESS, ANDHAVING A CENTRAL OPENING, A TRANSPARENT FILM ADHESIVELY AFFIXED TO SAIDFRAME AND HAVING BOTH ENDS THEREOF ADHESIVELY AFFIXED TO SAID PANELEXTERNAL OF THE AREA OF SAID FRAME EACH ADJACENT A CARTON END, SAID FILMBEING PROVIDED AT EACH END WITH A LINE OF WEAKNESS EXTENDING OVER THEWIDTH THEREOF AND SEPARATING THE AREA AT WHICH SAID FILM IS AFFIXED TOSAID PANEL FROM THE LINE OF WEAKNESS DEFINING THE PERIPHERY OF SAIDFRAME, WHEREBY THE DESIRED CONTENTS MAY BE